Leningrad (Russian: Ленингра́д) was the lead ship of her class of six destroyer flotilla leaders built for the Soviet Navy during the 1930s, one of the three Project 1 variants.

Completed in 1936, the ship was assigned to the Baltic Fleet and played a minor role in the Winter War against Finland in 1939–1940.

She escorted ships during the evacuation of Tallinn, Estonia, in August and then bombarded German troops during the Siege of Leningrad.

The ship was assigned to evacuate Soviet troops from their enclave in Hanko, Finland, in November, but was badly damaged by mines en route and forced to return to Leningrad for repairs.

After they were completed, Leningrad resumed shelling German positions and continued to do so until the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive drove them away from the city in January 1944.

The Leningrads carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 2,100 nautical miles (3,900 km; 2,400 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).

The ship bombarded German positions around Tallinn on 23–27 August, firing 227 shells from her main guns.

The Soviets began evacuating the port on the night of 27/28 August with Leningrad providing covering fire until the early morning.

They damaged fuel and fresh-water tanks and started a small fire by igniting the propellant for a 130 mm round.

[11] On 9 November she departed Kronstadt for Hanko as part of the third convoy to evacuate Soviet troops together with the destroyer Stoyky and the minelayer Ural.

Bad weather forced them to seek shelter behind Gogland Island on the morning of 11 November, although they were able to resume movement that evening.

The ship was able to get underway again, but was forced to return to Kronstadt, escorted by two minesweepers and the transport SS Andrey Zhandov.

She was repaired in Leningrad where she resumed providing gunfire support; the ship fired a total of 1,081 rounds from her 130 mm guns during 1941.